Dan Ndoye’s second-half strike earned Bologna a hard-fought 1–0 victory over AC Milan within the Coppa Italia last on Wednesday to safe their first main trophy in 51 years.
Bologna received the breakthrough eight minutes after the restart when Milan defender Theo Hernandez’s well-timed sort out on Riccardo Orsolini despatched the ball rolling to an unmarked Ndoye, who calmly slotted it house from shut vary.
The victory earned Bologna their first piece of main silverware since they received the identical competitors in 1974 and secured qualification for subsequent season’s Europa League.
The match was an exhilarating replay of Friday’s Serie A encounter, the place Milan triumphed with a dominant 3-1 victory on house turf.
Both groups have been determined to salvage what had been disappointing seasons, with Bologna sitting in seventh place in Serie A and Milan trailing simply behind in eighth, with solely two matches left to play.
After a fast-paced begin to the primary half, the place each side carved out harmful possibilities, the groups went into the break goalless after some sharp saves at both finish.
Milan keeper Mike Maignan was known as into motion inside the first couple of minutes, making a reflex save from a flicked header by Juan Miranda following a free kick.
Minutes later, Bologna keeper Lukasz Skorupski pulled off a powerful double cease, saving from an unlucky deflection from teammate Sam Beukema off a cross, then stopping an effort from Milan’s Luka Jovic on the rebound.
Bologna’s Lewis Ferguson was left struggling to stem a nostril bleed when he slid in to sort out Rafael Leao, however caught a blow to the face.
After Bologna received the breakthrough, Milan laboured to search out any urgency as their assaults fizzled out lengthy earlier than threatening an equaliser.
The most placing second late on got here when Beukema collided with a Bologna teammate, leaving his white shirt streaked with blood as medics rushed on to bandage his head.
Source: www.anews.com.tr